Is There a Mrs Claus?
by betterlove
Summary: Soulmates are destined to find each other, lifetime after lifetime. Sometimes it isn't always easy. Especially if one of the two soulmates is immortal. That wasn't going to stop North from finding his true love. Because even immortals want to get married. And North wants to find his 'Mrs Claus'.
1. Chapter 1 – Many Questions

**Author's Notes:** Hello, there. Thanks for coming to read my story. Please do not ask me what in the world gave me this idea because I couldn't answer you that. This idea just came to mind and I simply _had_ to write about it. I also feel like here isn't enough romance for North and I wanted to explore how an immortal would go about finding their soulmate.

So this story is set about seven years after the events of the film, which I do not own, of course. (But you already knew that). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this story.

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_"I feel like a part of my soul has loved you since the beginning of everything._

_Maybe we're from the same star." _

― Emery Allen

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**Is There a Mrs Claus?**

**Chapter One – Many Questions**

Who is Mrs Claus? She is the loving wife of Santa Claus, of course. Anyone who's heard of jolly old St Nick, has most likely heard of her too. But as very few know, the legends and stereotypes of Santa are not exactly accurate. Humans make up aesthetically pleasing stories and pass them down over time. but facts aren't always correct. Many think they are just stories after all. Only the true believers know better.

So Santa Claus isn't exactly how everyone has pictured him but that doesn't mean he's not kind and jolly and loveable. And so that brings up the next question (and more more questions probably). Is there really a Mrs Claus? Well, technically no, she doesn't really exist.

But Mrs North does...

This story has no real beginning. Nor will it ever end. But it does have many chapters, many complications, and many defining moments where things could have turned out in an entirely other way, if different choices were made. There are good parts and sad parts. There are morals, like most stories have. But there isn't exactly a happy ending because, as mentioned this story will never really end. But fret not, this story is full of happiness.

We should start on the day that Jack Frost brought up the question that really got North thinking.

It was early January and North was sorting out his workstation – because it was one of his New Year's resolutions. He hasn't gotten very far when Jack had come to pay him a visit. He was taking time from his busy January schedule to see if North was actually complying to his resolution (he had made a bet with Bunny) and he also wanted to see if North had any more of those delicious candy canes from the New Year's Eve party. So Jack had been sitting with him, on one of the many benches in the workshop, ignoring the hustle and bustle around him, chatting to North about just about anything that came to mind. North truly appreciate the company. Jack even helped out with the odd task here and there.

The question wasn't exactly random. Jack was know to ask odd questions out of the blue. For instance, in the past hour he'd already asked _'Are they merfolk with the head of a fish and the body of a human?_' and '_How long would Bunny's fur take to grow back if we shaved him?_' So yes, North was very used to Jack's strange questions.

"Have you ever thought of settling down?" Jack had asked as he watched the older man tossing old papers into a bin.

It wasn't one of the boy's most bizarre questions. In fact, it was quite a common question. One North had thought of himself many times before but never really dwelled on it for very long. So he didn't really have a response. So he just chuckled lightly. "Why do you ask?"

The teen shrugged, his attention mostly on the candy cane he was munching on. "It's just... I've always wondered, where does the idea of Mrs Claus come from?"

Ah, yes, _Mrs Claus. _Where _did_ she come from? North had always found it strange that at one point, humans started giving him a wife. Then other holiday figures didn't have spouses. So why did he? He set down the papers he had been skimming over and rested his hands on his hips. With another hearty laugh, he turned around to face Jack. "I ask myself that too. Just part of stories humans have created about me." He paused for a heavy moment before adding, "There is no Mrs Claus, Jack. There's never been."

"Well, do you ever want there to be?"

_Do I want there to be? Of course!_ He loved the idea of there being a Mrs Claus. What wonderful company! She'd be warm and kind and she'd smell of sugar cookies and happiness. She'd sing and dance and enjoy all the little things in life. If he was working too hard, she'd urge him to take a break and make him the most delicious cup of hot cocoa known to man. She'd get along with the Guardians and they'd all love her in return. She'd tell stories to the elves and help the yetis with toy production – knowing exactly what little children want. Why, she'd be his all, his forever. His reason to persist on when times are dire. She'd be better than any fictional Mrs Claus the humans have created. Though she technically wouldn't be Mrs Claus; she'd be Mrs North. And she'd be the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes upon.

But who was she? Where was she? Alas, was she too good to be true? Was the one he pictured some human woman? Someone who was already living the life she'd dreamed, rocking a baby to sleep in her soft, warn embrace. What type of woman would fall for a old man like him?

North cleared his throat and gave Jack his usual, happy smile. "Jack, I am very busy with work; I have no time for wife! Pfft!" He picked up his plate of cookies and set them down next to the boy, offering him some. "What about you? Do you want to settle down?"

"Hey, I'm permanently a teen; I technically can't settle down." Jack picked up a cookie and waved it in the air. "Besides, I'm one with the wind and sky – I'm married to winter." He took and bite of his cookie and stood up. "Which reminds me, I gotta bounce. Work, work, work, am I right?"

"Hmm, alright. I will see you later Jack." North clapped him on the back.

The teen picked up his staff, wincing. "Okay, that still hurts." He put the cookie in his mouth and grabbed another two, stuffing them in his pocket.

"Won't they fall out?"

"They won't be in there long." Jack's voice came out muffled as he grabbed one more cookie before backing up. "Seeya!"

North shook his head as the wint came down and carried up the young winter spirit. Jack was certainly good company to keep. He kept things fun and entertaining, that's for sure.

For the rest of the day, North went about cleaning up the Workshop. With the help of the Yetis, he got most of it cleaned up. Which was good because if the place was neat and sorted, it was easy to restart toy production fresh. But just because it was getting darker, did not mean work had stopped for the day. Oh, no. The Yetis finished up the rest of the general tidying up such as sweeping while North did his usual check on his globe.

The lights were burning bright and strong as usual. If he stared long enough, he could see a light dying out here and there. A child growing up. However, there were always new lights appearing, not as large as the others but still very bright. A child entering the world. The lights were mesmerising; could stare at them for hours. The globe was spinning at the right speed, at its accurate 23 and a half degree angle. Everything was in balance.

But there were still many thoughts and questions burning at the back of North's mind. Now, usually when a question or thought popped into North's mind, he did what he could to get his answer. He researched it, asked about it, or found out the answer himself. He got to the conclusion one way or another.

But all these questions and thoughts were more difficult to answer. And they all revolved around one thing; Mrs Claus.

Well, not exactly. He was more thinking of what Jack had first asked him.

_Have you ever thought of settling down?_

He could never settle down. He was Santa Claus! He was far too busy bringing joy to children to ever settle down. It was out of the question. He couldn't just quit, nor did he want to. As long as children believed in him he'd bring them happiness and wonder.

But just because he couldn't settle down, didn't mean he couldn't get married. As a human, he had never cared for it. He was always moving around and getting what he wanted, one way or another; a wife would just get in the way and slow him down. But now he was older and wiser. He could think of many reasons as to why a wife would be nice to have around.

The company would be marvellous. It wasn't as if he was lonely. Quite the opposite. Of course, he enjoyed that company of the other Guardians very much. But they were not always there; he only saw them from time to time. There were also the Yetis and elves too and they certainly were interesting company. But it would also be very nice to have someone to talk to about anything. Someone he could show his work to. He would show her all the toys he designed and made. He'd show her his ice sculptures. And she'd always remember to knock before entering his office.

And if she wanted to, she could be his right hand. His second in charge. That's what Mrs Claus was, right? She was right by his side helping him. Behind every great man stands a great woman, wasn't that how the saying went? She'd be very helpful to have around, if she were to be second in charge. Instead if bothering his Yetis while they're busy working, she could come and help him out.

He also adored the idea of surprising her each day in different ways. Whether it be with a bouquet of flowers or the latest model of a toy. Something that would leave a smile on her face each time. He loved bringing joy to people. More than anything. He loved watching the twinkling of utter _wonder_ in people's eyes when they are amazed. It filled him with absolute happiness. Why, if he did have a wife, she'd would _never_ have a dull moment so long as he was by her side.

He didn't picture a perfect relationship of course. He was sure there would be time argue menus would break out; all couples fought once and a while. But no matter how bad or loud their fights would get, he knew they would always rush back to one another, apologising. After all, if you truly loved someone, it meant you could have fights and know they wouldn't ruin your relationship.

Many people wondered if true love even exists. Of course it did! North had seen it with his own eyes. He couldn't understand how people couldn't see it. How could you _not?_ It was one of the most beautiful things in the world. He felt awfully sorry for those who did not believe in love. Those poor people that never found their soulmates.

North paused in his work, his thick eyebrows furrowing. Did_ he _have a soulmate? If so, was she also immortal, or human, as he suspected? Did she even believe in him? What if he _didn't _have one?

But what if he did? Where was she? Who was she? So many questions. So many questions he simply had to know the answers to!

But he had no time to go out blindly looking for his true love! He had work. Constant work. Children to protect. Toys to make. All of which came first. But he just couldn't live the rest of his immortal life knowing he did have a soulmate and not knowing where she was. It would drive him insane.

Maybe if he knew who his soulmate was, he'd be able to search for her. And maybe, just maybe, they could be together.

Well, there was only one spirit who could help with that.

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**Author's Notes:** Well, how was that? Be sure to leave a review, I love hearing your feedback. And I wonder if you can guess who North is going to see. I guess it's pretty easy. Anyway, until next time...


	2. Chapter 2 - Adobe in the Clouds

**Author's Notes: **Hello again. Another chapter, involving Cupid. And yes, my version of Cupid is female. I've always pictured her like that. Less creepy than a man-baby in a diaper.

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**Is There a Mrs Claus?**

**Chapter Two – The Abode in the Clouds**

High in the clouds, in her billowed abode, sat the lovely Cupid, on a deep mulberry divan. By her side was a large golden harp, autonomously playing her a romanic tune while her devoted cherubs were soaring in and out, spreading her love around the world. Unbeknown to her, she was about to have a visitor.

Now, usually, most were not allowed to visit her without an invitation, but she made exceptions. North was one of these exceptions; she found him to be quite wonderful company and insisted he could come over whenever. But he had little time to comply on this invitation since he was always just too busy. However it was the beginning of the year – and he was on a very important mission. And she was just the right person to help him.

He was waved into her boudoir by a cheerful cherub with one gold curl sticking up in his head. Now, Cupid's most dominant feature was her mass of bubblegum pink curls that reflected her playful and bold nature, and this was what first caught North's eye when he walked up to her. She was facing away from him but straightened up when she sensed she had a guest. After rising neatly, she turned around.

Her other dominant feature were her beautiful eyes. Bright, golden eyes that held all the love and joy in the world. Hers eyes drew everyone in; North could barely look away. Nobody ever really could. Never would you see in your lifetime such loving eyes, if you ever saw Cupid's.

The Goddess of Love grinned widely at her visitor. "_Nicholas!_ Oh, what a lovely surprise, dear!"

She fluttered over to him, her small but strong angel wings gracefully carrying her through the air. She landed near him, dwarfed by his size; she hardly came up to his waist. But she was tiny when compared to anyone. The dress she wore, a lovely shade of baby pink, made her seem even smaller. It draped off her shoulders and trailed along the ground when she was standing, and was adorned with gold jewellery, as her neck and wrists were.

North swept into a bow, matching her grin. "Is wonderful to see you again, Cupid." He stood upright and rested his hands on his hips. "I have favour to ask you."

Her expression grew troubled. "A favour? Is something wrong?" She led him back over to her divan and offered him a seat.

"Nothing is wrong." He assured as he sat down. "I have been thinking and I was wondering of you could do something for me?"

"Yes, of course."

"I want you to find my Mrs Claus."

Cupid blinked. "You want me to what?"

"Find my soulmate – my Mrs Claus!"

She arched an eyebrow. "Your _Mrs Claus?_" She repeated dryly. "You're joking."

North frowned at the angel. "I'm deadly serious."

She let out a sigh and sat beside him. "North, dear, I'm not sure I understand..."

"As I said, I have been thinking. I have many questions. Do I have a soulmate? Will I ever find them? Do—,"

Cupid held up her hands. "North, North, slow down. I can't just tell you who your soulmate is."

"But how will I find her? How do I know she even exists?"

The angel sighed and smoothed out her dress, pondering for a moment. "Tell, me North," she began slowly, "do you know how soulmates work?"

He shrugged. "Not specifically. Is just two souls destined to be, no?"

She smiled softly. "Mm, something like that, dear... You see, a soul never dies. No soul ever dies. You, for example, will stay in your body until the end of time, assuming your body isn't destroyed, of course."

"You mean my soul will?"

"No. You don't have a soul; you _are_ a soul. You _have_ a body."

The Russian nodded his head, now understanding. "So two souls are always destined to be together. But they will be reborn into many different bodies over time, yes?"

"Yes, that's tight. That's true love. Two souls finally reuniting time after time. That's why many people don't believe in true love. For one soul could be in the body of a lonely artist in Paris, while the other is in the body of a stressed single mother, both who cannot believe in love because their souls did not reunite in their lifetime." She paused, lowering her eyes. "As the world grows, there are more bodies to inhabit. And depending on what's happening in the world – war, disease, famine – many people do not get to experience true love. It's quite sad, actually."

Her melancholy tone did not last long. In fact it vanished quite quickly as she swallowed her sad thoughts and smiled once more, lifting her gaze back to North's. "Want to hear the more 'scientific' reason?" He nodded. "Well, some humans believe that when the universe was created, the atoms, that were once close before the Big Bang, are trying to find once another once more so they can be together again. Oh, sometimes humans can be so romantic."

North wasn't really listening. His eyebrows had pulled together as he thought deeply. His soul had been in his body for a very long time. True, it would have obviously have been in other bodies before he was born but right now, his body was as immortal as his soul. Obviously, that wasn't the same case with his soulmate's soul. No, no, his soulmate's poor soul had been going from lifetime to lifetime, desperately yearning for him but never being able to find him. That soul had been searching and searching, life after life, never being reunited for centuries. Because the soul his soulmate was looking for was up at the North Pole and technically, according to many adults, did not exist.

"I must _find_ my soulmate." North said determinedly. "I must find out who she is."

"You know, not all soulmates are destined to be lovers. Sometimes it's just close companionship. How do you know the Guardians aren't your soulmates?"

North shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "We are all obviously meant to be together. And they are very, very dear to me. But I want my one true, soulmate. I want to stop their suffering and I want to be with them until the end of time. More than ever now, because I will be around for a very long time and I don't want my soulmate to go on for hundreds of more lifetimes being without true love."

"Sometimes soulmates aren't just other humans or spirits. Sometimes, one's soulmate is purely the world around them. An example of that is Mother Nature. She belong to the Earth. Everything about her, every fibre in her being and her very soul, all connect back to the Earth. They are connected. You, one the other hand, your work is material. You bring wonder through gifts. Sure, you bring joy to children but I can tell that your soul still craves love from something more."

North took Cupid's tiny hands in his. "That's why I need to find my soulmate. Is what I crave; I know that now. Can you help me? Please? I just have to know who my soulmate is."

Cupid took a deep breath. North was such a _wonderful_ person. He made many people very happy. She wanted to give something back to him; he also deserved happiness. She simply had help him. "I'm doing this because I care for you greatly and I want you to be happy. And I suppose it's also it's kind of impossible for you to find her on your own son long as you're you." She paused, as if thinking deeply, her eyes drifting off the stare at her harp. After a moment, they focus back on him and burned with golden knowledge. "Her name is Annalina Dillon-Faye. She has auburn hair. And she lives in California, America. That's all I'm telling you."

"But how—,"

"Trust me, North, you'll know her when you see her."

"But will she be able to see me?"

Cupid rolled her eyes. "She's your soulmate! I think, by default, she's automatically going to be able to see you – whether or not she believes in Santa Claus."

North nodded his head and rose. "I will find her. Annalina Dillon-Faye." He said fiercely. He always followed through on his plans. This was no different. What a beautiful name. He would find this woman. He just had to.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Cupid asked softly. "Even if you are soulmates, I must warn you, she may not believe it. She may have give up on love in this lifetime."

"I must try."

The Goddess of Love smiled knowingly. That sounded like the North she knew. "Then good luck."

"Thank you, Cupid. I must be going now."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? My dear friend Venus is visiting soon. She hasn't seen you since she stopped coming to your Christmas-on-New-Year's-Eve parties."

North chuckled. "No, thank you. Tell her she is welcome to come to the next one if she promises to stop talking to married spirits. It upsets their wives greatly."

"Mm, no promises there, dear."

"Very well, thank you for all your help today, Cupid." North bend down and kissed her forehead. "I must be off."

She smiled at him as he began to walk out. "Ah, yes, go forth and woo your beloved. It shall go swimmingly, I'm sure."

"It will!"

"Just remember, North, if true love were easy, everyone would be happy."


	3. Chapter 3 – The 21st Century Search

**Author's Notes: **This chapter is a little random. But I thought adding social media kinda made it more... realistic. I also wanted to involve Jamie and Sophie. I don't know. Anyway so Jamie is about 15 in this and Sophie is around 9.

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**Is There a Mrs Claus?**

**Chapter Three – The 21st Century Search**

"You're doing _what?!"_

North had completely expected these exasperated reactions. He couldn't just throw something like this on his friends and assume they'd think it totally natural.

He had summoned them using the Northern Lights, which was meant strictly for emergencies _only_. This was kind of an emergency. He needed to tell them of his plans, of his decisions. He also needed their help. Because he wasn't exactly sure how he would go about finding his soulmate with a name and state.

The other four Guardians were standing with him in the Workshop. Sandy watched on calmly, already liking North's quest for true love. But Bunny and Tooth looked bewildered. And Jack was also confused but quickly growing excited.

"Wait, what's going on? You have a soulmate?" He asked.

"Yes, Jack, and I am going to find her." North said with a look of determination.

"That's awesome!"

"Are you kidding me?" Tooth asked shrilly. "You called us here to tell us you want to find your soulmate?"

"No, no, I've come to ask your help, actually."

Sandy clapped his hands and nodded his head eagerly, ready to help.

Bunny crossed his arms. "And just how are we suppose to find this soulmate of yours?"

North held up his finger, keen to explain. "You see, I visited Cupid, and she told me about my soulmate. Her name is Annalina Dillon-Faye and she lives in California, USA."

"Great, that narrows it down." Bunny muttered.

"Well, with a name like that, it kinda does." Jack said with a shrug while Bunnymund rolled his eyes.

"Don't fret, I am very sure I will know her when I see her."

"Oh, you can't be serious, North!" Tooth objected. "How can you find her with just a name and a state?"

"Try looking her up on Facebook." Jack suggested.

The others threw him unamused looks.

"I'm serious!" He protested. "I mean, it's the 21 century, guys. People have Facebook. The internet is digital book. These days a name and state is plenty of information."

"You have very good point, Jack..." North mused.

Toothiana pursed her lips. "Isn't that stalking?"

"Not if it's in the name of love." Jack defended.

"Honey, I'm all for love and romance and all sappy things like that, trust me but... I'm pretty sure it's still stalking."

"Meh. Don't put things on the internet you don't want people to see. Simple. Anyway, why don't we go see Jamie about it?" The teen continued, leaning on his staff. "He could help. The kid's a wiz when it comes to this stuff."

Tooth looked ready to object but merely sighed. "It's better than North going door to door, like Prince Charming looking for Cinderella."

Sandy conjured up a sand image of North's sleigh and began walking to the doors, gesturing for the others to follow.

North laughed heartily. "Ah, that's the spirit!" He followed the Sandman with Jack in tow. "Everyone to the sleigh!"

Bunny glanced at Tooth and shrugged. "We can't _not_ help him."

She nodded. "Of course we can't."

The two of them quickly caught up with the others.

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"What movie's on?" Jamie Bennett asked, flopping on the couch, next to his sister.

"Alfred Hitchcock's _Psycho_." Sophie said, offering him her bowl of popcorn without looking.

He grinned, grabbing a handful. "Nothing beats the classics."

She nodded, eyes glued to the screen.

Though his mother constantly told him not to let his sister watch horror films when he was babysitting her, he just couldn't keep Sophie away. She was into all the classics, you know _Dracula_, _Night of the Living Dead_, the _Halloween_ movies, and so on. Basically all the movies kids _shouldn't_ be watching. Jamie came to the realisation that he was exactly like this at her age; watching horror films and being a massive fan of anything supernatural.

They were both engrossed deeply in the film when there was a sharp rapping at the door. It made them both jump. They glanced to the door. The knocking sounded urgent.

"I wonder who that is..." Jamie murmured, standing up.

"If it's a psycho, just scream."

Jamie walked over to the door and slowly opened it.

The Guardians stood there, smiling at him and he felt relief wash over him. Well, relief and confusion. At least it wasn't a psycho. He absently stepped to the side and they walked in. This wasn't the first time they had just, well, showed up out of the blue. The Guardians had visited occasionally over the years. Sometimes just one or two of them, sometimes all of them. They had grown quite fond of Jamie, his friends too. After all, they did save the Guardians' lives. Their belief was strong and powerful and so the Guardians rewarded them with these occasional visits.

"Uh, hey, guys. Long time, no see. So what brings you here? Is there a world crisis? Toy shortage? Is Pitch back?"

"We need you to look someone up for us." Jack said simply.

"Come again."

Sophie popped her head up from behind the couch curiously. Once she saw their guests, she grinned and leapt off the couch. "Hi, guys!" She ran over and threw her arms around Bunny. "I missed you."

Bunny chuckled and patted her back. "Good to see you, too, love."

Jamie shook his head in confusion. "Wait, who do you want me to look up?"

"Annalina Dillon-Faye." God, the name sounded more beautiful each time he said it.

"Huh, alright then."

"She has auburn hair." North added, trying to be as helpful as possible.

"Just try and find her Facebook, or Instagram, or whatever she's on. Can't keep up with the digital age." Jack said with a chuckle.

The brunette teen smiled faintly and retrieved his laptop from the table. "This is a really weird request." He sat on the couch and turned the laptop on. "Who is she?"

Tooth rested her forearms on the back of the couch, leaning over to look at Jamie. "She's North's soulmate."

His eyes widened slightly. "Wha-soulmate?" He arched a brow. "Seriously?"

Bunny sat down in one on the armchairs, smirking. "Don't tell me ya don't believe in soulmates; you're a believer of everything else."

"No, no, I do. It's just... didn't think it worked the same with you guys." Jamie murmured as he opened his internet browser.

Sophie sighed and flopped on the couch. "You're looking for your soulmate, North? Oh, that's so romantic."

Sandy sat next to her, nodding in agreement. She smiled at him and sat up straighter. "So, you guys are all helping him?"

"We'll do whatever it takes." Jack said, glancing at North.

"It must be nice to be able to go out and search for your soulmate." Jamie mused, more focused on his laptop. "I don't even now how you'd start looking. Never thought about mine really."

Jack sat next to him, slinging an arm around the boy. "Aw, I'm sure you'll find them someday. Besides, from what I've heard, I think when you meet them you just... know."

Jamie glanced up at the winter spirit and smiled before his eyes drifted back to the screen. "So I'm on Facebook now... let's see if I can find her..."

"What if she's, like 80 or something?" Sophie asked.

North shrugged. "Haven't thought that far ahead."

"Yeah, this is more touch and go but I guess we're hopin' she's not too young? Or dyin' of old age?" Bunny asked dryly.

"I don't think we need to worry about how old she is." Tooth perched herself on the arm of Bunny's armchair. "I mean, however old she is, its_ nothing_ compared to North's life experience."

The Russian held up his hands. "Everybody be quiet." He said gruffly, lightly miffed out how lightly his friends were taking this. This was a very big deal for him. Everyone did keep quiet after that, not wanting to get North wound up at a time like this.

"So you said she had red hair, right?" Jamie asked, breaking the long, and rather awkward, silence.

"Yes."

"I think I've found her. Not many Annalina's out there but there is an Anna Dillon-Faye, from the Golden State. And she had red hair."

"Really?"

"The beauty of Facebook. Take a look."

North leant over the couch as Jamie enlarged her profile picture. It was a photo of a woman, rather young – around thirty – sitting outside a cafe, looking like she was laughing at something in the distance.

She was gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. Not in a conventional way, North supposed. More of an ordinary beauty that you only saw of you were truly looking. She was one of those women you passed every day and never batted an eye, but when you eventually stopped and admired her, you discovered her beauty was radiant and pure.

Her hair certainly _was_ red, especially in the natural lighting, and sat around her shoulders in messy curls. Those curls framed her narrow face and contrasted sweetly against her fair skin. Freckles peppered her nose and rosy cheeks lightly, giving her a more youthful and natural look. And her smile, oh, her smile! Those lovely, thin, pink, wonderful lips that were stretched into a grin. Ah, and she had dimples! They were faint but also gave her a youthful look.

But it was her eyes that really drew him in. They were so bright. Not in colour, no, in colour they were a warm hazel. Something about her eyes reminded North of his own. Something so vigorous and exciting. So full of life. But... almost in a sad way. As if she were merely spectating the excitement, not fully living it. Her eyes reflected the wonder of the world as she watched from the crowds. Well, he couldn't_ really_ tell that just from a photo. Maybe it just seemed that way because she wasn't looking into the camera.

But, _oh, _Annalina Dillon-Faye. She looked exactly the way her name sounded. Whimsical and wonderful and absolutely delightful. He just had to meet her.

North was completely smitten.

"That's her."

"Are you sure?" Tooth asked, hopping up and coming to look at the photo. "How do you know?"

"I just do."

"See I told you." Jack whispered to Jamie.

Jamie nodded absently as scanned her profile. "She works in this little cafe. Looks small and quaint."

"What did I tell you? The internet is a wonderful thing." The winter spirit said, looking rather pleased with himself. "I _knew_ we'd find her this way.

"Check out this photo."

There was a photo of her, Anna, and a man with his arms around her. He had dark hair and a lewd smile.

"Must just be an ex-boyfriend."

"Look how creepy he is. Who'd date a guy like that?" Sophie screwed up her face.

"Alright, guys, you are officially stalking." Tooth scolded, clicking her tongue.

North stood up straight. "I must find her." He said boldly. "I need to at least meet her."

Tooth turned to face him. "No offence, North, but maybe you should wait a few years; she looks rather young." Her voice was delicate, as if afraid to say the wrong thing. "How do you know she even... believes in you?"

"Cupid said she would be able to."

"So, uh, what's your plan?" Bunny asked, standing up. "You gonna go meet her, tell her you're Santa, get her to fall for you, marry her, and live happily ever after?"

Sophie giggles. "Sounds like a plot for a _Disney_ movie."

Jack shook his head. "Yeah, that sounds romantic and all but that's not gonna work. I don't think _true love _works like that in the real world. I'm pretty sure it takes time. I mean, if you randomly try to kiss her, she may mace you."

North ran his fingers through his beard, deep in thought. This was certainly going to be a lot harder than be initially thought. He was going to have to make her fall for him. Earn her affection. He was going to have to make her believe they were truly meant to be together. Which could take a lot of time and may end terribly. He wasn't even certain she believed in him, let alone true love. He knew they were soulmates but she certainly didn't.

Well, he wasn't just going to give up. Nicholas St North _never_ just gave up.

"I still want to meet her." He said solemnly.

"I'll go with you." Jack offered, making at note of the cafe address in his mind. "You know, for moral support and all."

North smiled fondly at the boy. "Thank you, Jack."

Sandy jumped up, pointing at himself.

"Ah, Sandy, of course you can come!"

The little man grinned and turn to Tooth and Bunny.

The fairy shook her head lightly. "As much as I'd love to see North woo his apparent future bride, I'd rather stick to my busy schedules. You know, our jobs we have to do."

North waved his hand. "I will get back to that, immediately after I meet her... Annalina."

"I'm with Toothy, but best of luck," Bunny eyed North for a moment, "because Gods know you need it."

"You don't think I can do this?" The larger spirit asked gruffly.

The rabbit held up his paws. "Mate, I'm completely confident you can_ woo_ this woman. But I wonder if you'll propose before or after ya tell her you're Santa Claus." His voice turned slightly sarcastic.

"I won't build relationship based on lies."

"Mm, sure. Also if she's used to the sunny weather of California, how well do you expect her to do at the North Pole. If ya haven't noticed, it's pretty _chilly _there."

They heard a car pull up. "Dammit, that's mom!" Jamie said as he shut his laptop. "You guys better go."

Instead of throwing Bunny a witty comment, North just sighed and patted Jamie's head. "Thank you for your help, Jamie."

The boy chuckled. "My pleasure."

Sophie gave the Guardians quick goodbye hugs before running outside to stall their mother just a moment longer.

Jamie got up and hugged Jack tightly. "You gotta come back soon, okay?"

The winter spirit returned the hug fondly. "Of course, kiddo. I'll see you around."

He pull away and slipped out the back door, with the rest of the Guardians.

"I think that went well." North said with his usual jolly smile.

"Facebook; helping you stalk people since 2004." Jack said with a cheeky grin. "Ah, don't you just love social media?"

"Now, the next step is to meet her."

"You have absolutely no plan on how we're gonna go about this, do you?"

"No clue."


	4. Chapter 4 – Annalina

**Author's Notes: **So this chapter just basically introduces North's soulmate.

* * *

**Is There a Mrs Claus?**

**Chapter Four – Annalina**

_And it's... closing time._

Anna sighed as the last few customers left the café, after another day of hustle and bustle. It wasn't exactly a busy day, just a long one.

At least for her it was.

Now some might say a job at a café would be pretty fun going and generally easy. Most of the staff were juniors though, so they didn't have long hours and only served or cleaned, and some were trained in the kitchen. Anna, however, served customers and waited tables, made a majority of the food they served, helped clean the bathrooms and dishes and the tables – she even had to clean the occasional pieces of gum from under the tables – not to mention, she swept and kept the outside of the café tidy, answered all the phone calls, and was almost _running_ the café alongside her sweet but scatterbrained boss.

But if you asked her how her day was going, Anna would give you and cheery smile and ensure you that everything was peachy. No, she wasn't _stressed_ – she was fine, really! She was doing her job. That same thing for years. Just going and going and going. It was thoughtless. Working and working and working and smiling and just being as good as she could be.

Was her life fair? Of course not. Did she have it easy? No. Did life hand her lemons. No; life pelted her with them. But she picked each lemon up and made sweet lemonade with it, serving it to those around her and covering up her bruises. She awoke each day with the hope of being the best person she could be because that's all she could do. Her life had been full of mishaps and misfortunes. But she didn't let it bring her down – she didn't think about it. She stayed focused on the present.

If you asked her if she was content with her life, she'd reply with 'what would be the point if being content – you'd have nothing left to do'. Because she wasn't content.

She was stuck.

The truth was, the future was so terrifying to think about for her. What did life have in store for her? Anna had certainly had her fair share of bad luck and she couldn't imagine inflicting that luck on someone else. Call her crazy but she thought that would be a serious possibility. Also, she had her fair share of, well, secrets about her that would prevent most people from settling down with her.

So here she was at thirty, working that same café ever since she was sixteen, with no close friends, never having a relationship lasting more than three months and an unusual string of bad luck following her.

But of course, she didn't really want to think about it. So she just went about each day being the best person she could be. That's all she could do at that moment.

Of course, her life was about to be so strangely and suddenly flipped upside down – and if you asked her where she saw herself at the end of the year, it certainly would not be remotely close to where she ended up.

"Seeya tomorrow, Anna." The youngest employee, Sally, waved at her as she left the café.

Anna smiled wearily and waved back before taking off her apron, sighing to herself. Lewis, the primary chef in the cafe and one of the two employees who was older than her – besides her boss – joined her by her side. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and dark skin, and deep eyes that matched. But he had a warm soul and his smile could almost always pick Anna up when she felt low.

"Sally is really improving." He commented casually. "I taught her how to make baked cheesecake during her break today."

She nodded, glancing up at him. "I know, I have the leftovers in my bag. It's delicious." The corners of her lips lifted up. "Of course that goes without saying; she has a brilliant teacher.

Lewis grinned at her. "Why, thank you, strawberry."

Anna rolled her eyes and but returned his cheerful grin. Ever since she began working at the café, she gained at lot of nicknames to do with her red hair – which in her option was a light auburn. Lewis and Isla, the other employee older than her, and even her boss, passed on these names to the new workers and they caught on fast. There was strawberry, Little Annie, Raggedy Anne and red. Sort of cliché she supposed but cute in a way.

Just then Isla bustled past the two of them and tossed her apron into the basket (she offered to wash the aprons each night so they were fresh and clean every morning – and she always managed to remove all stains). Isla was a kindly lady with a huge personality. She was a little over sixty but she would always enforce she was a_ young_ sixty. And she was; she had a spritely sort of nature to her, with a spring in her step and a tune to hum. Though her grey curls framed her ageing face, she seemed to glow with youth. After all, you're only as young as you believe.

"Ah, what a day we've had." Isla hummed, mostly to herself as she picked up the basket. "Certainly kept me on my feet."

"Tell me about it." Anna groaned, raising her hands above her head and stretching. "Can't wait to get home and I can sleep and do it all again tomorrow. You working tomorrow, Lewis?"

He shook his head. "Nope. It's my wife's birthday so we're spending the day at the beach."

"Oh, of course. Give Pearl my best wishes."

Lewis nodded. "Will do." His trademark grin spread across his face. "Goodnight, ladies. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evenings."

Anna crossed her arms and exhaled after he left. "Why can't more men be like Lewis?"

"They are, dearie, but they're all taken."

Just then, their boss came out of his small office in the back of the café, dropping a pile of flyers all over the floor. He clicked his tongue and hastily bent down to pick them up, mumbling something about having butterfingers.

"Oh, Mr Joyce, let me help you." Anna smiled at his clumsiness as she knelt down to help him out.

Mr Joyce was a lovely man; he was calm and reasonable and never lost his temper. But he was just a little clueless sometimes. Always dropping things, forgetting where he placed his mug of coffee, even showing up to work with his tie sitting around his collar but not actually tied up. He was a good boss, with the help of Anna, of course.

"Thank you, my dear."

Anna scooped up the flyers and handed them back to him. She kept one and stood up, reading it. "What are they for?"

Mr Joyce also stood up. "They're just updated flyers of our monthly culture night. I was going to get you to hand them out today but," he went red in the face, "I completely forgot."

"It's alright, sir. Just leave them on the counter. Tomorrow I'll hand them out to the customers and during my lunch break, I'll go downtown and put them up in the usual store windows."

He smiled in relief, his flushed face returning to normal. "Anna, I don't know what I'd do without you! You're a _lifesaver_, love."

"Just doing my job."

The older man sighed and dropped the flyers on the counter. "Well, I better be heading home. It's spaghetti night tonight and nothing beats Giselle's spaghetti."

"Oh, wait, here," she pulled the pieces of Sally's leftover cheesecake from her bag, "dessert. Sally gave it to me but I know how much Giselle likes cake."

He took it from her. "You're a Godsend to me and this cafe, Anna. I really don't know what I'd do without you."

Isla chuckled as she picked up her bag and headed towards the door. "This place would fall apart at the seams." She opened the door and before she left called out, "Goodnight, dearies."

"Remember Isla will be coming in late tomorrow; she has an appointment." Anna reminded her boss. "But I'm sure she's already reminded you."

He nodded vaguely, fumbling around his pocket for his keys. "Noted..." he made a face. "Now where are my keys...?"

Anna giggled as she opened the café door. "Goodbye, Mr Joyce." She waved in his general direction.

"What? Oh, goodbye, dear..."

"Try your jacket pocket!" She called out as she left.

It wasn't a long walk to her apartment. But it wasn't exactly a pleasant one. She didn't really live in the nicest part of town, okay? The area was pretty dodgy and so were the characters. She didn't judge books by their covers; some of her neighbours were quite friendly – and some may or may not be criminals but that wasn't the point. Also, she had dated her fair share of dodgy characters.

Why couldn't she get it on with a real nice guy? If only Prince Charming existed. Then again, even if he did, she would not be his ideal maiden. She wouldn't even be his second choice. Or third. Or any probably.

Although, Prince Charming wasn't her ideal guy either.

She always dreamed about marrying someone really interesting. Full of character and stories. Anna pictured the type of guy who could make grocery shopping an adventure. A guy who she wouldn't have have a dull conversation with or long awkward silences. She wanted someone who didn't expect her to change, but made her feel like a better person. Someone who could save her from her mundane lifestyle.

_Why am I thinking about this?_

Her attention returned to reality as she got ready to cross the street. Then hesitated.

There were three guys walking towards her. Anna didn't judge. But she'd see these guys before and she was pretty sure they were bad news. And probably part of some underground mafia. They wore dark clothes and were always skulking around these parts of the town. So far, she'd seen them harass at least a dozen people but they always seemed to evade the police. All they did was harass; never actually harm people but just... harass. And maybe it was because she was rather superstitious, but there was something about them that was _highly_ unnatural. Also she only ever saw them after the sun was setting.

Bad news.

And they were walking towards her. Wonderful. Was this her bad luck catching up with her again? Well, anyway, couldn't turn around; it be too obvious she was avoiding them. Maybe she could just walk past them.

But they were too close now. She could see their devious, nerve-wracking smiles. Anna swore that they were different guys each time and they just collectively looked the same but she couldn't be sure since she never got a proper look at them They never spoke either. They just moved closer and closer and closer. And with each step, everything just felt like it was getting darker and darker. _I really wish I had my mace..._

Now this was the moment her life was suddenly turned around because it was then she heard fierce voice with a heavy Russian accent shout at the strange men, "Get away from that woman!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So the ending if this chapter will make more sense in the next chapter I promise. Thanks for reading. Until next time...


	5. Chapter 5 – First Impressions

**Author's Notes: **Yay, they're finally meeting!

* * *

**Is There a Mrs Claus?**

**Chapter Five – First Impressions**

"So what's the plan, North?"

"Ah, yes, the plan..."

Jack groaned and slumped against his staff. "You have no _clue,_ do you? I told you we should have discussed more this before we left!"

Sandy silently chuckled from behind the large map he was holding – a map he had no clue how to read. He just wanted to try working out where they were without using magic.

They were all good with countries and states and large cities but when it came to specific places, like a cafe in a small town in a rather large state, well, they hadn't exactly had much practice. With children, of course, it came a lot more naturally to them, remembering where each one lived and which houses held which children. But this was different. A new sort of experience for all of them. They decided they'd just use one of North's snow globes since Jack had taken notice of the cafe's name and address, and since North was notorious for jumping into something without much planning it thought.

They had spent some time at the North Pole, debating what would be a good time to go on their expedition. Jack begged to go late afternoon because even in winter, California could get pretty warm. At least to him anyway. They had also been talking what they were actually going to do when they got there. Jack and Sandy didn't really want to be stalking this clueless woman. They were also running the risk that she may not even be there.

North quickly grew tired of discussing technicalities and demanded they went off on their mission.

Now they were in a small clearing the lead to the park and had a good view of the cafe since the building was right next to a vacant lot on the corner of the street.

What was he actually going to do when he saw her? Just watch from behind bushes? Too creepy. Approach her? Also... too creepy. In hindsight, it probably _would_ have been better to think this through. He thought back to his conversation with Tooth.

_"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" She had asked softly, being ever so delicate and cautious with her words. "I mean, have you thought about the long-term future? How does a wife even fit in with all—,"_

_"Toothy, Toothy," North interrupted, "I just want to see her in person."_

_"It's just, no offence, she seems... _young_."_

_He raised a thick brow. "Your point?"_

_Tooth held up her hands defensively. "I'm just saying. Besides, I though the whole stereotype of Mrs Claus was old and sweet with grey hair; not a thirty year old Californian redhead."_

_"Well, she's not going to be Mrs Claus, is she?" The larger spirit huffed, becoming defensive. "If I even were blessed enough to marry her, she'd be—,"_

_"Mrs North, I know." Tooth smiled softly. "Oh, North, I want you to be happy, I do. I just want you to understand that love works _both_ ways and this woman – this Annalina – she has no clue. It could take some convincing."_

_"That I am willing to do."_

_"Then I'm sure you'll be able to win her over."_

_North laughed heartily. "Of course I will!"_

_"Good luck, dear." The fairy kissed his rosy cheek before departing._

Now North wasn't so sure about the whole 'winning her over' thing. What did women even like these days? They say romance is day and the modern world has no place for an old soul like do you get someone to fall in love with you? He was certainly out of practise.

The sun was setting in the sky, turning the clouds vivid shades of orange and pink. Jack and Sandy were lounging in the grass, in a deep conversation about how to track down unicorns – Jack was curious, okay? – but North was pacing back and forth, far too wound up to relax. He was beginning to think she wouldn't be here.

"North, it's getting close to two hours since we've been here." Jack moaned, lying back on the grass. "Most decent cafés should be closing about now. Plus it's getting kinda weird."

Sandy sat, propped back on his elbows, nodding at North with pursed lips. Perhaps it was time to go home.

However, before North could ever respond he caught sight of something that changed his life forever.

Annalina.

His soulmate. She was walking away from the café, even more magnificent in real life. Not in a physical sense at the moment really; her hair was sloppily pinned back and she wore a beige blouse and black skirt. Her arms swinging by her side. Looking so damn ordinary that it made her radiant with something so _extra_ordinary. So suddenly, she'd filled North's entire vision. It was all her. Nothing else. In that one short moment, he only existed to bask in her pure, ordinary perfection.

"That's her?" North vaguely heard Jack's voice in the distance. "She's really pretty..."

North nodded absently, wanting to dedicate every inch of his attention towards Annalina. The woman of his dreams. Or so he hoped.

But in an instant, he moment came to an end. He saw three men in dark clothes walking in the opposite direction, heading towards her. Perhaps boys was the better word. It matter not whether they were boys or men, however, because the far more pressing matter was that they were _not_ human. As a spirit himself, North could easily spot a supernatural being. And if these men – boys? – weren't human, than the perverted assumptions of what they were thinking of changed to a dark concern as they seemed to eye her in what almost seemed to be hungry.

Annalina noticed these men and slowed down substantially. Her hesitation was further evident when the men began looming in closer.

And North simply could not let that happen.

He rushed forward, amazingly light on his feet for his heavy build. Jack's voice floated behind him, shouting something about not rushing into things, but North pushed it to the side. Jack could wait. Annalina – Annalina was his focus right now. No harm could come to her. Not now! Not before he even got a chance to _meet_ her.

First impressions are very, very important.

"Get away from that woman!" North warned, his voice loud and gruff.

The taller one was the first to look up. His eyes were bright and curious, contrasting against his pallor complexion. His head tipped to the side, studying North with an almost dismissive expression. He was strange. Not many people intervened. They were very brave or very stupid. So, yes, he was strange, but also unimportant; there were three of them and only one of him.

But North despised the way that boy was looking at him. Weak. That was all he could see in those wild eyes. This boy – this thing? – thought he was weak? _He, _Nicholas St North? Bah! The very absurdity of it. He almost felt sorry for this creature. Anyone who knew North knew he was anything but weak.

The Russian didn't hesitate in grabbing the boy by the front of his hoodie and yanking him off the ground. He had no intention to harm them, of course; he merely wanted to frighten them off. He was able to get a closer inspection of the boy's face and indeed none of them were human. Their skin lacked any form of colour and their features were thin and angular, presenting nothing but the pure absence of life. But there was magic radiating off them. North could feel it. Murky and full of hate. Dark magic. True, it was being cloaked – they were seeming to want to go undetected – but something this wretched just couldn't be hidden. Not entirely There was something very malicious in these boys.

However, they themselves weren't merely as malicious. In fact, the other two quickly got the message that they were certainly about to get tangled up with the wrong man. They gave him nervous smiles and hastily took off. One of then bolted past Anna, forcefully knocking her to the ground, almost as a mocking payback, knowing North wouldn't follow them but instead stay with the woman.

As soon as Annalina had fallen North released the taller boy – who madly took off after his friends – and once more his attention returned to the bewildered woman below him.

That couldn't have been the worst first impression, right?

Her hands were badly scraped from pathetically trying to break her fall. They throbbed slightly but Anna felt no pain. Her ears were hot. Hell, her whole body was hot. Her mind was sort of still in the process of trying to catch up with what exactly happened.

Where had this guy come from? Or possibly more importantly, what sort of old man was that fierce and agile and strong and... She had never seen anyone so sure of their self. She lifted a shaky hand – oh, God, she was shaking, how ridiculous – to brush the stray hairs from her face as her gaze was fixated purely on the sidewalk and nothing else because that was all she could process.

"Are you alright?"

Why does he sound so concerned? Like really, genuinely concerned. Most people would keep walking. That's none of my business, they'd think idly, going about their own lives. But no, this man, he was one of the ones that went the extra mile and assured that others around him were doing okay. The kind that made it their business to put others first. Didn't seem like there were many people like that around these days.

Annalina looked up for the first time.

If you were to ask her what the first thing she ever really noticed about North was, she would, without a moment's hesitation reply with his eyes.

Because never had she seen such blue eyes. So _blue_. So melodically and fascinatingly blue. They were so alive and full of life. She wasn't sure young adults had eyes as endless and enchanted as his, let alone someone his age – or apparent age. She was reminded of bottomless sea, deep forests, endless galaxies, all full of questions and uncovered knowledge. Of secrets, excitedly and impatiently waiting to finally be uncovered. It was like staring into a child's eyes; so bright and twinkling, and yet, those same eyes had seen they world at in its darkest times. Those eyes were moulded along with the world, shaped and defined, like water over rocks, eventually eroding their own path in life. Those eyes held the key to magic and wonder and curiosity. They made him look so much more younger. His eyes were so...

But _why_ was she staring so hard?

She finally collected up enough scattered thoughts to shake her head. "I'm fine." She replied lamely because she still wasn't entirely sure. "Thank you so much."

"Is quite alright." He offered an arm down to her, patiently waiting.

And since Anna didn't really know what else to do, she took his larger hand – his skin was so warm, she noticed absently – and held it with a desperate tightness, afraid she'd fall, as he began to pull her up. It was with ease and, despite his large size, he gingerly helped her upright once more. Her thoughts of falling suddenly seemed silly. Of course he wouldn't of dropped her. Once she was standing, he gave her a kind smile.

Anna couldn't do anything but smile back. She couldn't believe how suddenly infectious his smile was. It was inviting. Beckoning her to join in, to smile because he strangely made everything all well.

But the warm feeling quickly wore off and then Anna felt extremely awkward. She pulled her hand back and coughed. Her gaze returned to the sidewalk, thinking of something, anything, to say. "You were so fast; didn't even see where you came from. You just _appeared_." She laughed clumsily, feeling terribly ridiculous and couldn't even meet the older man's gaze. Her laughter trailed off dejectedly and she quietly exhaled. "My, uh, my name is Anna."

"My name is Nicholas St North."

She arched a brow. "That's... interesting. But you can't beat me at the name game; my full name is Annaline Rosemary Dillon-Faye."

"Quite the mouthful."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well, that's why I stick with Anna."

"But Annalina is such beautiful name."

"Oh, uh, I guess. Anna is easier to remember though."

"Well, Anna you can call me North."

"Hi, North."

She was surprised at how easy that was. So far this North character was rather... lovely to talk to, despite his intimidating size, his deep voice with the thick accent, and their obvious age difference. _Don't judge a book by its cover, Anna._ Usually she struggled to talk to new people. Most brushed her off as unimportant. What could _she_ do to bring colour and interest into their lives? What could she offer them that was worth upholding a conversation with her? Even Anna didn't know.

But with North it seemed different. They hadn't met before – he was someone she'd _definitely_ remember. But there was something about him she just... knew. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Anna could cling to some sort of knowledge when she looked at him. Almost as if she'd always been subconsciously aware of his existence but just hasn't known about it until now.

Or she was possibly completely overthinking things.

She tried to focus on smoothing out the creases in her blouse rather than actually looking up at him. "Look, _thank you _again for saving me. I really appreciate it."

"Is nothing." North said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

She smiled faintly and brushed loose strands of hair from her face. "Well, I should, you know, be heading home now. Getting kinda late..."

Though she was acting distracted, she certainly did not miss the look of disappointment on his face. Oh, the way his brows pulled down like that, it was a little adorable. _Don't think that sort of stuff about random old guys, Anna – it's weird._

"Well, then I hope you get home safely."

"Yeah, me too."

"Good night, Anna." It seemed like he really didn't want to say those words.

She waved once. "Seeya later, uh, North."

Anna began to walk off, looking back once or twice and smiling, but other than that, returned to her life.

She was the first human adult North had talked to in a very long time.

_Did it go well? _He wasn't sure. It seemed clumsy to him, sudden and out of place. Was the first impression with his soulmate a completely disaster?

Oh, but that didn't matter at all to him at that moment. He met her! And she was simply wonderful! He couldn't understand why she was so nervous and awkward when she had all this underlying confidence. Did she really not see the self-assurance within her, or did he only imagine it. No, he couldn't have. She just lacked the ability to see what was already inside her. Many humans seemed to; they're so scared that what they're looking for isn't inside of them and they immediately assume it isn't, without even believing in themselves.

Could Anna not see how perfectly darling and delightful and simply mesmerising she was?

She thought _she_ felt awkward? _He_ was having the hardest time trying to remain composed in front of her, without coming off as intimidating or peculiar. But she seriously seemed to believe he was human. But perhaps the idea that he wasn't never crossed her mind.

"North!"

He turned and saw Jack, with Sandy in tow, running over to him, looking positively awestruck and amazed, with a grin from ear to ear. "That was incredible! You–they way you two _looked_ at each other! It was, oh, it was so..." he gestured wildly, unable to put his thoughts into words.

Sandy joined them, a golden heart appearing over his head. Next to the heart, an arrow appeared piercing it. The golden heart lit up brightly and Sandy smiled widely.

"_Love at first sight!_" The teen exclaimed. "Sandy's right! That was... that was love at first sight..."

North's eyes lit up hopefully. "Do you really think so?"

"Are you _kidding?_ Of course! Do you even know how _long_ you were staring at each other when you helped her up?"

"It wasn't _that_ long, was it?"

Jack laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Wow, you really have no idea. See, further evidence that it's love at first sight."

"And you're not just saying that?"

Sandy shook his head firmly, pointing at the sand heart and it grew in size fur further emphasis.

North smiled inwardly. Perhaps their first meeting went better than he thought.

"Who were those guys messing with her? How did they see you?" Jack asked, wanting to break the sudden silence.

"I'm not sure who they were. Just some spirits trying to torment humans. Probably some Shadow Men or Jinxes."

"Are Jinxes those things that go around spreading bad luck?"

Sandy nodded, a look of distaste on his face. He really didn't like them.

Jack shrugged. "Whatever. You scared them off. They probably won't confront her ever again." His smile quickly reappeared, somehow even wider than before. "But_ you_ will, right? When will you see her again?"

"Well, I—,"

"Lemme guess, you haven't thought it through?"

"Is fragile situation." North defended half-heartedly. "Nothing will go according to plan."

"You're right. Maybe take your time with your next encounter. You know, instead of rushing forward like a Russian madman and saving her from some supernatural gangsters."

The Sandman rolled his eyes, laughing quietly to himself. He then pointed at the sky and formed a could of Dreamsand underneath him, floating up in the air slowly.

"Sandy is right. We should be getting back."

"Ah, what a day." Jack sighed. "I give you an A for effort and chivalry, North, but probably an F for sophistication and charm. You seriously need to work on that."

North just laughed, wrapping a large arm around the teen's smaller form, pulling him into a side hug. Jack smiled and twirled his staff with his freehand.

"Just think, if this goes wrong, you only have to wait about a hundred or so years to try again."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I hope you liked that. It's a little tricky to write sometimes. North is certainly presented with a delicate situation. How does one go about befriending someone the know they're destined to be with? How does one get their soulmate to fall in love with them? Anyway, feel free to review and I hope you have a nice day.


	6. Chapter 6 – It's a Date

**Author's Notes: **So this takes place about a week or two after the first meeting.

* * *

**Is There a Mrs Claus? **

**Chapter Six – It's a Date**

He needed to see her again.

But how?

Their first encounter didn't actually go as planned. Then again how did one even plan meeting their soulmate? Really, North was thankful that it happened at all.

He wanted to befriend her. In fact, that would be necessary for him to do so if he wanted to gain her trust and respect... And hopefully her affection too eventually.

How did humans go about all this?

"Just ask her out on a date." Jack suggested when North expressed his dilemma to the Guardians.

"I would very much like to but I'm not quite sure _how_."

They were all huddled together in North's library, drinking hot chocolate. Jack and Sandy were on a large beanbag, with Sandy's head resting in the boy's lap, while Tooth and Bunny were nestled together an armchair together, a blanket wrapped around them. North sat on the armchair closest to the fireplace.

It wasn't often they go to do this. Just lounging around together as the quirky little family they were. Of course, they knew it wasn't going to last long so they tried to make the most of it as usual.

Jack was trying to get his fingers on Bunny's mug, in the hopes of freezing the hot chocolate. Eventually, Bunny slapped the winter spirit's hand away. "Piss off, ya frozen brat."

"Oh, come on, Bugs Bunny, surely you can come up with better insults than _that_." Jack teased with his trademark smirk.

Bunny took another swipe at him but Jack just leant back, laughing mischievously.

"Aster," Tooth scolded lightly, "stop squirming."

"Alright, sorry, love."

Jack snickered once more but Sandy slapped his arm chastisingly. Despite this action, he had an amused expression on his face.

North cleared his throat. As much as he enjoyed watching his friends happily interacting – and he really did – he still wanted them to help him with his soulmate crisis. "Can we get back to matter at hand?"

"Don't know why you're asking us." Jack shrugged, staring into the mug of his long frozen beverage. "It's not like any of us has had any _real_ experience of dating, right? Or, wait, have you?"

"It's not like any of us has had any _real_ experience with human adults." Tooth corrected. "Humans are so fragile. And picky. You have to be careful with them; they seem to be very emotional."

"Use that to ya advantage, mate. Romance," Bunny pointed at North, waving his paw, "is what women love, I think. Just sweep her off her feet and treat her like she's ya princess."

Jack scoffed. "Nah, the modern woman wants to be independent. Be her sidekick, not her Prince Charming."

Sandy shook his head, creating a mixture of random sand images.

"Uh, find out her dreams and make them come true?" The winter spirit guessed hesitantly.

The Sandman clapped his hands.

"So basically become her hero? Do girls like that stuff?"

North blinked in confusion. "Well, which is it?"

Bunny shrugged. "Dunno. Women are confusin' creatures. Am I right?"

Tooth shook her head in both amusement and disappointment, scoffing. "You're all looking too much into it. Do _any_ of you understand women?"

"Uh..."

Sandy shook his head at her.

She stood up, rolling her eyes and brushing down her feathers absently. "North, it's simple. Allyo our need to do is be yourself. Just," she hesitated slightly, trying to find the right words, "don't overwhelm her with your... _large_ personality."

"Are you kidding?" Jack waved his hand dismissively at her. "North'll be able to charm her easily."

"I'm sure he will, honey. Anyway, I should be going now."

Tooth gave them all a peck on the cheek before she darted off.

Bunny glanced back at the Cossack. "Look, if she's ya soulmate, surely you'll have chemistry. I mean, ain't that how these things work?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

Jack stood up. "Well, you're gonna find out. No time like the present to ask her on a date. You saved her life, after all."

* * *

Anna sighed heavily to herself as she stared out the window at the gloomy drizzle of rain.

Work was _dragging_.

It was such an awful day. The air sat heavy in the empty streets. It wasn't even actually raining, not heavily anyway – it didn't rain much. But it was just enough to sink the mood of the whole town. Everyone wanted to stay cooped up indoors. Anna absently thought to herself how it would be to be snuggled up on the couch with someone she loved, a blanket draped around them as they watched old Disney movies together. Oh, how _nice_ that would be...

She shook her head. Huh, she didn't normally think of that cheesy stuff. And thinking about it made her realise how much she craved it. But she couldn't think about it. Because then she'd want it more. And she'd never get it out of her head. And it would forever haunt her because all these cute little visions would never come true.

"I need to clear my mind."

Brushing the hair from her face and dragging her fingers down her cheek absently, she checked her phone for the time. _12:15. _She still had another fifteen minutes before her lunch break ended. Usually on a normal day, she'd cut her break short because it was so busy. But today... it seemed like she had some time to kill.

"I'm just going to go for a little walk." Anna called out to Isla.

"Alright. Take your time, dear." The elderly woman popped her head out the kitchen door. "Looks like we're going to be having a slow day."

"Tell me about it."

Anna left the cafe, stuffing her hands in jacket pockets. Why did days like this exist? All gloomy and depressing. They slowed everything right down, stretching the hours out, minute by agonising minute. She loathed days like this. Anna did absolutely everything and anything to keep busy. Doing anything so she didn't have to think about everything she didn't want to think about.

So she decided to count the bushes and trees that littered the grass next to the path instead. Just walking and counting.

However, once again, she was oblivious to the fact that life was about to the throw her in another dramatic direction.

She bumped into someone, almost stumbling over. The person held her shoulders to keep her upright and she instinctively pulled her hands from her pockets and grasped at the other person's coat for support. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, I—," she stopped as soon as she looked up and recognised the person.

It was the man who rescued her from those creeps the other night. What was his name? "...North?" She was almost embarrassed by how ridiculously bewildered she sounded. "Wow, this is... oh, I'm so sorry – this is _awkward_... I, uh..." It took her a moment to realise she was still holding his coat. She cleared her throat and stood up straight, arms limply dropping by her sides. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

North just smiled at her awkwardness. "Is quite alright, my dear. No harmed caused."

"So, uh, what are you doing here? Haven't seen you around since you saved me that night. Don't know if you even remember that..."

"Of course I remember."

"Me too. I mean, of course I do. How could I forget, right?" She glanced away, hating how uncomfortable this felt. Something deep down told her this should be more natural. "So what _are_ you doing here?"

The older man's brow raised and he cleared his throat. _He's as awkward about this as I am..._

"I must be honest – I had to see you again."

"Oh. Well, that's sweet," Anna said with a friendly smile, "but, you know, I've never seen you around here before."

North nodded. "You haven't. I am not from here."

Anna arched a brow but decided not to press any further.

"Look, Anna, reason I am here is because... I want to..."

"Yes...?"

"I was wondering if... you would – if I would be honoured enough to have you join me for dinner sometime."

She blinked in surprise. Did she hear correctly? Did he just ask her out on a _date?_ She couldn't decided if she found that weird or adorable. He was kinda old. Okay so MOre then kinda old. At least he looked it; he was pretty confident in his speech and movements. And why did he want to go on a date with her? What did he honestly see in her? "Oh, uh, I don't know..." She mumbled, her cheeks reddening bashfully.

She felt awful when the wave of rejection hit North. "I completely understand if you don't want to. I was just hoping... that is—,"

"Oh, no, no, I didn't say _no_."

The way the hope totally _lit_ up his face once again made Anna smile. He really seemed to want to go on a date with her. It was really sweet. And really creepy. How did she even know she could trust this guy?

Who was she kidding? She knew. There was something about the way he looked at her – something about the way she _felt_ when he looked at her. _Do I know him? I _swear_ we've met before. Why else would I feel so... _okay_ around him?_

"So you would like to go to dinner?"

Anna took a deep breath and nodded. "I really think I would. I'm free tomorrow night."

"Really? Wonderful!" He boomed loudly and Anna found herself smiling once again. "How does seven O'clock sound to you?"

"Sounds good. Here, I'll give you my address." She pulled her pen and notebook from her bag and quickly scribble it down. "It's in that direction," she absently pointed behind her as she handed him the torn out page, "and it's hard to miss. Has all this cool street art along the wall."

North took the piece of paper. "It sounds lovely."

"Mmm..." Anna pressed her lips together as an awkward silence filled the air. "So I should probably head back to work. You know, get an early start on those dishes." _Not that's there's much to clean. _

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night, my dear."

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

She suddenly liked these gloomy days a lot more now.

* * *

North knew he would have to make arrangements for the dinner. He couldn't exactly just call a restaurant and make a reservation. Ah, yes, a table for Santa Claus and his young, beautiful companion who knows nothing about him.

Fortunantly, he had many friends all over the world. He managed to get in contact with a dear friend called Charlotte Rose, who could do wonders with surprises and romantic scenarios. She was formally – and still is to some extent – one of Cupid's angels. She was always very happy to lend a hand to those wanting to create perfect moments without having to use arrows infused with lust or desire. And so, she created her own business of sorts. (And between you and me, Cupid's extremely proud of Charlotte Rose's immense success.)

She was absolutely thrilled when North requested her help for a date. _"I always knew you you had it in you." _She has said when he was discussing what he wanted her help with. He admired her enthusiasm greatly.

Working her magic, she created a small gazebo in a park nearby where Anna lived. It would be invisible to the human eye, bar Anna, of course, but only when she was with North. There were flowers and vines covering the gazebo and a quaint wooden table with matching chairs in the centre. She gathered up a few angels to be the 'caterers' for the date and promised North that she would be there, also in disguise, to assure that everything went smoothly.

As the time was drawing closer, North didn't know whether he felt confident or nervous. What did they talk about? How did he respond? He knew hardly anything about the current human trends. And what did he do if she asked him something about himself?

Someone rapt on his door lightly, saving him from his doubting thoughts. "Knock, knock." He heard the Tooth Fairy's sweet voice on the other side. "Can I come in, dear?"

"Of course."

The door clicked open and she entered, graceful as usual.

Tooth held her fingers to her mouth. "Oh, North," she flittered over to him, laughing, "you look so _handsome!_"

He smiled as she circled aroundhim, her eyes scanning up and down his outfit. He was wearing a burgundy suit with a white bow tie. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"It never hurts to take a break. Besides I wanted to come see you. How do you feel?"

North's brow crinkled. "What do I say to her?" If he told her everything, she would most likely assume he's insane. But he wasn't about to build a relationship based on lies. "I don't want to lie but I can't just tell her all my secrets without—,"

"Freaking her out?"

"Exactly."

"North, dear, just be honest. When she asks a question, give her the correct answer. But just try not to elaborate, you know?"

"I'll do my best."

Tooth buzzed over to him to straighten his bow tie. "There," she brushed down his jacket, "you look wonderful."

"Thank you, Toothy." North said warmly, taking her small hands in his. "How do you think it will go?"

She shrugged lightly. "I couldn't tell you. It could go wonderfully... or it could, well, fail miserably." She noticed his nervous expression and laughed softly. "Oh, stop worrying, Nicholas, darling, I know you'll try your best to make it work."

"But what if it doesn't?"

The fairy sighed in mild frustration, pulling her hands free and cupping his warm cheeks. "Then it doesn't. Simple. But don't worry about what could go _wrong_ – just focus on making it a good night for her. Hopefully one what won't leave her scarred, you know?"

North gave her an unamused look. "Shockingly, that didn't help very much."

"Just think positively." Tooth instructed, holding a finger up and smiling brightly. "That's what _I_ always try to do; I'm too busy to do anything else."

He nodded, feeling rather confident. "You're absolutely _right! _I am going to do my best to make this the best date I can."

She clapped her hands. "That's the spirit!"

"Now, I should be off. Wish me luck, my dear!"

"Good luck!" She laughed happily. "Aw, look at you – Santa Claus is going on his first date!"


End file.
